Alphabet

Google, YouTube, Fitbit, Waze, Nest, Firebase
California
Cloud & Data Storage, Media and Entertainment, Software and Services, Web Browsers

Corprate Bias Ratings

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Alphabet, the parent company of Google and its many subsidiaries, has demonstrated a willingness to censor a wide range of voices, mostly conservatives and Christians, on its platforms and police-protected speech in discriminatory ways. Google discriminates against conservative and religious nonprofits in its charitable policies and regularly uses its corporate reputation and funds to advance ideological causes. The company covers the cost of "medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children. Google does not have viewpoint protections for its employees. For these reasons, Google receives a High Risk rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Google has a history of disproportionately censoring conservative ideas and messages. In 2021, the Google Play store removed the free-speech Parler social media app (1). In 2019, Google disbanded an advisory board because it included Kay Cole James, the former president of the Heritage Foundation (2). YouTube also has censored many conservative channels and videos like those of PragerU, the Heritage Foundation, and Live Action (3)(4)(5). In one instance, eyewitness accounts reported that Google subsidiary YouTube de-platformed an educational institution, Hillsdale College, by shutting down its livestream of an in-person and online event held to discuss the economic implications of the so-called “Great Reset.” In another instance, YouTube censored a panel discussion in which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and several renowned epidemiologists discussed the scientific studies regarding the efficacy of masking policies amongst children (6). Multiple employees have claimed viewpoint discrimination caused their terminations from Google, prompting Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to write a letter to the CEO of Google demanding answers to its various censorship of conservative voices and channels (7)(8). A few months later, a study found that Google sends Republican campaign emails to spam over 1.5x more than Democrat emails (9)(10). YouTube censored a talk from theologian Carl Trueman discussing the Christian view of sexuality for a “content violation” (11). Google terminated the Gmail account of Gays Against Groomers, “a coalition of gays against the sexualization, indoctrination and medicalization of children” (12)(13). After Giorgia Meloni became the new Prime Minister of Italy, YouTube took down a years-old video of the politician giving a speech criticizing “global elites” (14). A Google employee was fired after reporting sexual harassment claims to HR against a female executive; in the ongoing lawsuit, the plaintiff describes being told that he was fired for not being “inclusive,” being “ableist” by commenting on the walking paces of fellow employees, and that Google needed to fire a white man to make room for more women on the team (15). Google fired A.I. Researcher, Satrajit Chatterjee, for criticizing a published article featuring work from another team at Google (16).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Google’s employee donation-matching program eligibility requirements are not public (1). Google requires all recipients of nonprofit grants to not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment and the distribution of services (2).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Alphabet and Google do not protect their employees from viewpoint discrimination (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Google has a perfect score on the HRC’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index. This score indicates the company covers the cost of “medically necessary transition-related care” for its employees and their children (1)(2). The company advocates for the Equality Act and transgender participation in female sports (3)(4). It also decided to corporately oppose Georgia’s voting integrity legislation and other states’ election reform laws (5). While still Executive Chairman at Google, former CEO Eric Schmidt served on the Democratic Victory Task Force (6). Google also implemented “antiracism” training that taught that all Americans are “raised to be racist” (7). Google opposed the Florida Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in schools to kids in K-3rd grade (8). Google Docs released an update in 2022 to suggest edits for “more inclusive” language on its Docs (9). Google opposed North Carolina’s “Bathroom Bill” that forced people to use the bathroom of their biological gender (10). CEO Sundar Pichai is a member of the Business Roundtable (11).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Google dissolved its charitable fund and gave all of its assets, over $40 million, to the far-left Tides Foundation, a progressive grant-making organization (1). It is also a Platinum Sponsor of the Human Rights Campaign (2). Google is also a member of many partisan organizations, both liberal and conservative (3). Google has run giving campaigns for Planned Parenthood (4). Alphabet also uses corporate funds to provide travel benefits for abortions (5). The company even offered to relocate employees who wanted to move states due to abortion restrictions (6). Alphabet pledged a combined total of over $300 million to the Black Lives Matter movement and related causes (7)(8). Google is a copper sponsor of Out & Equal and a corporate partner of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (9)(10).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Google contributes in a bipartisan manner consistent with its business interests (1).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
September 25, 2023

Company reports are intended for educational use only. Full Disclaimer

Voting History

Date
ESG Category
Proponent
Summary of ResolutionMgmt RecTotal Vote % in Favor
6/2/23GovernanceNorthStar Asset ManagementEqualize Shareholder VotingAgainst30.70%
6/2/23SocialNational Center for Public Policy ResearchCongruency Report on Partnerships with Global OrganizationsAgainst0.40%
6/2/23GovernanceNational Legal and Policy CenterContent Governance ReportAgainst0.60%
6/2/23GovernanceJames McRitchie and Myra K. YoungBylaw Amendments to Further Include Shareholders in Governance PracticesAgainst4.90%
6/2/23SocialArjuna CapitalReport on Expanding Abortion-Related Privacy ProtectionsAgainst7.00%
6/2/23GovernanceHarrington Investments, Inc.Performance Review of the Audit and Compliance CommitteeAgainst8.30%
6/2/23GovernanceJohn CheveddenRequire Executives to Retain More StockAgainst9.70%
6/2/23SocialMissionary Oblates of Mary - United States ProvinceReport on Human Rights Assessment on Data SitingAgainst13.00%
6/2/23EnvironmentalZevin Asset ManagementReport on Climate LobbyingAgainst14.10%
6/2/23SocialTrillium Asset Management on behalf of John Hancock ESG Cap Core FundReport on Disclosure of Algorithmic SystemsAgainst17.00%
6/2/23GovernanceUnited Church FundsLobbying ReportAgainst17.70%
6/2/23SocialShareholder Association for Research and Education, on behalf of United Church of Canada Pension PlanHuman Rights Assessment of Targeted Advertisement PracticesAgainst17.80%
6/2/23SocialBoston Common Asset ManagementReport on Alignment of YouTube Policies with LegislationAgainst17.90%
6/1/22SocialNational Legal and Policy CenterReport on Government Takedown RequestsAgainst0.40%
6/1/22EnvironmentalImpax (Pax World) Asset ManagementReport on Physical Risks of Climate ChangeAgainst17.74%
6/1/22GovernanceNorthstar Asset ManagementGive Each Share an Equal VoteAgainst33.16%
6/1/22SocialLoring, Wolcott & CoolidgeDisclose More Quantitative and Qualitative Information on Algorithmic SystemsAgainst23.00%
6/1/22GovernanceSOC Investment GroupAdopt Policy on Non-Management Employee Representative DirectorAgainst2.55%
6/1/22SocialJohn CheveddenAssessment of Company's Management of Misinformation and Disinformation Across PlatformsAgainst3.51%
6/1/22GovernanceDale WannenEstablishment of an Environmental Sustainability Board CommitteeAgainst4.74%
6/1/22EnvironmentalAs You SowReport on Water Management RisksAgainst22.54%
6/1/22GovernanceArjuna CapitalReport on Steps to Improve Board DiversityAgainst5.25%
6/1/22SocialThe Nathan Cummings FoundationRacial Equity AuditAgainst22.31%
6/1/22SocialTrillium Asset ManagementReport on External Costs of Misinformation and Impact on Diversified ShareholdersAgainst19.54%
6/1/22SocialSanford LewisReport Assessing Collaboration with Military and Militarized Policing AgenciesAgainst9.16%
6/1/22SocialBoston Common Asset ManagementReport on Lobbying Payments and PolicyAgainst18.94%
6/1/22SocialWhistle Stop CapitalReport Risks Associated with Use of Concealment ClausesAgainst11.95%
6/1/22SocialBrandon HardyReport on Data Collection, Privacy, and SecurityAgainst12.21%
6/1/22EnvironmentalZevin Asset Mgmt.Report on Climate LobbyingAgainst18.80%
6/1/22SocialSumOfUsReport on Risks of Doing Business in Countries with Significant Human Rights ConcernsAgainst16.99%
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